Cropping as ratio only???

JE
Posted By
John_Etnier
Jan 9, 2007
Views
412
Replies
17
Status
Closed
I have long wanted to be able to set the crop tool so that it simply maintained a fixed image size ratio while working: the resulting image would NOT be resampled in relationship to its original size, but would have dimensions fixed at a ratio of, say, 4X6.

Can’t this be done somehow? It seems so obvious and necessary. Am I missing something?

Thanks.
Related Tags
crop

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CS
Carl_Stawicki
Jan 9, 2007
Use the Marquee with a Fixed Aspect Ratio, and then choose Image > Crop.
JE
John_Etnier
Jan 9, 2007
Thanks. So nothing in Crop, eh? The Marquee tool won’t resize, can’t be moved, doesn’t preview the cropped area. I tried it, but it won’t work for me.

This seems so basic I can’t help but feel it must be there and we just don’t know how to do it.
B
Bernie
Jan 9, 2007
The Marquee tool won’t resize, can’t be moved, doesn’t preview the cropped area. I tried it, but it won’t work for me.

You did choose fixed Aspect Ratio not fixed size, right?

To move it, simply click and drag, once it’s in position, choose image -> crop
JE
John_Etnier
Jan 9, 2007
Yes I did. I’m sorry: I did forget that the marquee can be moved, BUT it cannot be resized as the crop tool can. This means much trial and error until one ‘crops’ to the closest approximation of what is actually desired. The Marquee further lacks the "Shield" function of the crop tool. I really was hoping to learn that the crop tool could crop to a ratio if only some hidden keystroke were invoked.

Guess that’s all she wrote. Thanks to all.
B
Bernie
Jan 9, 2007
Select -> Transform selection
BG
barry_gray
Jan 9, 2007
Be sure to hold shift when dragging corner/resizeing to maintain proportions
B
Buko
Jan 10, 2007
John all you need to do is place the dimensions and resolution in the tool bar with the crop tool selected. You can even rotate the crop to straighten the horizon, for example.

like I said you need to learn to use your tools instead of making your job harder than it needs to be.
MS
Martin_Sammtleben
Feb 14, 2007
He mentioned NOT wanting to resample the images.

Sorry, but none of the mentioned workarounds will do for me either: the marquee tool just isn’t the same as the flexible crop tool with handles to resize and rotate while masking the crop area.

I’m surprised, this still isn’t possible.

Has this shortcoming been addressed in PS CS3?

Cheers Martin
DK
Doug_Katz
Feb 14, 2007
Martin, he can insert the precise resolution he wants in the option bar field… including the resolution of the pre-cropped image, no?
MS
Martin_Sammtleben
Feb 14, 2007
In article ,
wrote:

Martin, he can insert the precise resolution he wants in the option bar field… including the resolution of the pre-cropped image, no?

Yes, but if you only specify a resolution the crop tool doesn’t know whether you want it to be for instance at a 3/2 or 4/3 ratio. As soon as you fill in any values PS assumes pixels as the unit which will cause resampling of the image.

It would be great if one could *omit* the units and just get a crop with the desired aspect ratio instead just as with the marquee tool but with all the additional benefits of the crop tool.

There must be others than just John and me longing for this. 🙂

—
Cheers Martin
B
Buko
Feb 14, 2007
Martin I was talking about the crop tool

and if you don’t enter anything in the resolution field then nothing is resampled.
CB
charles badland
Feb 14, 2007
As soon as you fill in any values PS assumes pixels as the unit which will cause resampling of the image.

Only if you have the Ruler Units set to pixels. At any other unit of measure, the Crop Tool does not resample.
MS
Martin_Sammtleben
Feb 14, 2007
In article ,
wrote:

and if you don’t enter anything in the resolution field then nothing is resampled.

Yes, I’m aware of that.
However then the crop tool won’t maintain any specific aspect ratio either and we’re back to the marquee tool – that’s what sparked this entire thread.

—
Cheers Martin
CB
charles badland
Feb 14, 2007
Set the Crop Tool to ANY unit of measure other than pixels (which isn’t really a unit of measure) and have nothing in the resolution field.
You will have a specific ratio without resampling.
MS
Martin_Sammtleben
Feb 14, 2007
In article ,
"charles badland" wrote:

Only if you have the Ruler Units set to pixels. At any other unit of measure, the Crop Tool does not resample.

Aha! (smacking forehead)

Great tip, just what I needed!
I realize that this will alter the resolution, but since, in this particular case, I’m dealing with images to be used on the web it won’t matter.

Thanks muchly!

—
Cheers Martin
CB
charles badland
Feb 14, 2007
Cool.
But I have to agree with you, it would be nice if we could enter just a ratio in the Crop Tool and keep original ppi resolution.
MS
Martin_Sammtleben
Feb 14, 2007
In article ,
"charles badland" wrote:

But I have to agree with you, it would be nice if we could enter just a ratio in the Crop Tool and keep original ppi resolution.

Yes, that would be terrific.

However I’m a happy camper now, thanks to your advice! 🙂

—
Cheers Martin

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